May 23, 1911: Tigers prevail after manager’s ejection, Washington’s eighth-inning collapse

The 1911 season began well for the Detroit Tigers. By May 19 they already had two six-game winning streaks and a nine-game winning streak, and their 27-5 record was 9½ games ahead of the second-place Chicago White Sox. They cooled off with two losses to the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Athletics and another loss in the first game of a home series with the Washington Nationals, but they still led the American League by eight games entering the second game of the Washington series on May 23.

The Nationals were struggling severely. After finishing 1910 with their 10th losing season in 10 years of AL play, they were 14 games into a 16-game, four-city road trip. Washington’s 7-3 win over the Tigers on May 22 had broken an eight-game losing streak, but the Nationals’ 11-20 record was still seventh in the eight-team AL. In March, their home park, Boundary Field, burned down.1 A replacement, later known as Griffith Stadium, had been quickly erected in time for Opening Day, and construction was ongoing.

Ace pitcher Walter Johnson had contracted malaria and hadn’t pitched for two weeks.2 Veteran third baseman Kid Elberfeld had just gone down with a wrenched ankle.3 Catcher Gabby Street was also out, nursing an injured thumb, and he had not been traveling with the team.4 Manager Jimmy McAleer spent the previous Sunday in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, scouting players, instead of at the Nationals’ game in Cleveland.5

Starting for the Tigers on May 23 was George Mullin, coming off a complete-game 9-4 victory over Philadelphia five days prior that improved his record to 7-2. The 31-year-old right-hander was statistically the Tigers’ best pitcher so far, with a team leading ERA of 3.07 and an OPS+ of 105 as a batter. 

Starting for the Nationals was 32-year-old lefty Dolly Gray, whose wife, Leonora, had served as the Nationals’ mascot in the win the day before.6 Gray went on to a poor season, his last of three in the majors, before being sent to the Rochester Bronchos of the Eastern League to fulfill a player-to-be-named-later obligation.

Detroit got off to a poor start in this game, with Mullin giving up a triple to former Tigers teammate Germany Schaefer, who was driven home by Jack Lelivelt. Things continued their downward trend in the bottom of the first when, with one out and a runner on first, an apparent hit-by-pitch was ruled a ball by home-plate umpire Bill Dinneen and “challenged” by Detroit manager (and all-time career hit-by-pitch leader) Hughie Jennings. Jennings argued with Dinneen, a former major-league pitcher, the ejection coming swiftly when Jennings called the umpire an “over-ripe banana.”7

Donie Bush, the batter allegedly hit, reached on a fielder’s choice, his colleague put out at second. A wild pitch advanced Bush to second, and Gray’s throwing error on a pickoff moved him to third before Ty Cobb, advised to not play due to tonsillitis but playing anyway, singled up the middle to bring the runner home.8 Cobb’s hit gave him an eight-game streak, which would eventually extend to 40 before being snapped in July.

It was still a 1-1 game when Cobb began the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle, then stole second base. Sam Crawford’s single drove him home, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead.

Washington took no delay in striking back in the fifth, with second baseman Bill Cunningham, batting a league-worst .164, singling to left, advancing on a sacrifice by John Henry, and reaching third on first baseman Jack Ness’s errant throw. Gray grounded to Detroit second baseman Jim Delahanty, who delayed his throw too long, allowing the batter to reach and Cunningham to score the tying run. Clyde Milan grounded into a force out at second, then took the base himself on a delayed steal. Schaefer drove a single up the middle that Delahanty managed to grab, and he gunned down Milan trying to score to end the threat.9

The Tigers regained the lead with runs in the fifth and sixth. In the fifth, Mullin drew a one-out walk. He advanced to second on a groundout to third, and Bush drove him home to put the Tigers back ahead, 3-2.10 In Detroit’s half of the sixth, Crawford beat out a grounder to Cunningham, and Delahanty pushed a single through the shortstop to move Crawford to third. Third baseman George Moriarity lined out to left, with Delahanty trying to advance but being chased back to first. One out later, with catcher Oscar Stanage batting, Delahanty and Crawford pulled off a double steal, with Crawford scoring to bring the lead to 4-2.11

Mullin, who had put up back-to-back scoreless innings, took the two-run lead to the seventh. Cunningham singled to left and took third on Henry’s hit-and-run single. Gray helped himself with a double to right, scoring both runners to tie the game. Milan singled behind second, advancing Gray to third. Schaefer sent a roller to first, which moved Milan to second as Gray held at third. Lelivelt then grounded to Mullin, who tagged out Gray attempting to score while Milan moved up to third. Then Lelivelt stole second.

Wid Conroy sent a ball to Cobb in center, making it back around to home when Cobb let the ball go through him, with three scoring on the single and three-base error.12 Mullin finally got himself out of the inning with a strikeout, but Washington had rallied for five runs and a 7-4 lead.13 

Detroit could not score in the seventh, and Washington added an eighth-inning run on Gray’s single to extend the lead to four, 8-4.14 

It was in the bottom of the eighth that a “fit of hysterics” hit the Nationals; a performance poor enough that it led to McAleer, threatening shake-ups for the whole team.15

The inning started with Cobb smashing a ball to right for a double. Crawford lifted a pitch, sending it high into the sky. First baseman Schaefer got under it, calling off both Gray and Cunningham. As the Detroit Times reported, however, the ball “descended straight into Herman’s mitt, popped out again and rolled on the ground,” much to the delight of the Detroit faithful.16

Crawford and Cobb stole to reach second and third, before Delahanty popped out to the catcher. Moriarty rolled to short, but McBride fumbled the ball, allowing Moriarty to reach first, Crawford to advance to third, and Cobb to score.

Ness sent a chopper in front of the plate, which catcher Henry fielded cleanly. His first impulse was to wait for Crawford, observed the Detroit Times, “but he just had to throw that ball” to try to get a sliding Ness at first.17 Ball and runner arrived at the same time, and Ness was ruled safe. Schaefer was incensed at this call – and presumably his error and Detroit fan heckling – and “rampaged around the diamond” before finally getting ejected.18 It was an 8-6 game.

At this point, Walter Johnson came in to attempt to stop the bleeding.19 Unfortunately for the Nationals, this was the 23-year-old Johnson’s first game back after his bout of malaria, and it showed.20 Stanage singled to center to score Moriarty. Mullin struck out for the second out. Davy Jones pinch-hit and bunted for a single to fill the bases, bringing Bush up to bat.

Johnson’s control faltered, and he walked in the tying and go-ahead runs. “Cool as an Iceberg and haughty as a Russian nobleman, Walter then proceeded to pass Bush,” reported the Detroit Times. “This forced Ness across the pan with the (tying) run. Without a single let-up in hauteur or dignity, Walter also passed Cobb, Stanage romping home with the run that won the game.”21

Mullin retired the Nationals in the ninth to close out his eighth win of the season. Johnson, who took the loss, was noted in newspaper coverage for his velocity and movement still being strong, but lacking control.22 Johnson recovered and went on to win 25 games in 1911, finishing fifth in the AL MVP voting.

The Tigers appeared to have some pitching drama, as Stanage let it be known to the media that he believed the infield was tipping his team’s pitches. The middle infielders would shift with the pitch call, and Stanage thought that with a little investigation opposing teams could tell what pitch was coming. He felt the reduction of hit-and-run plays in this game indicated that this had indeed been the case, and that ideally the pitching would improve with the issue diagnosed.23

McAleer continued to express his dissatisfaction with the Nationals players in the media after this game, saying, “I would take anybody. … We could be strengthened in several positions even with mediocre players,” before promising, “As soon as we get back home, the boys will get a long talk. There must be a few changes in style of play or there will be a few changes in the salary list.”24

The Tigers, who were in first place with a 59-24 record on July 18, lost 41 of their final 71 games. They finished second, 13 1/2 games behind Philadelphia. Washington came in seventh, 38 1/2 games out.

 

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Thomas E. Merrick and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: George Mullin, Trading Card Database.

 

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET191105230.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1911/B05230DET1911.htm

 

Notes

1 “Baseball Park Is Swept by Flames,” Washington Evening Star, March 17, 1911: 1.

“Grandstand and Bleachers Go in Mysterious Fire at Ball Grounds,” Washington Times, March 17, 1911: 1.

2 ”Grandstand and Bleachers Go in Mysterious Fire at Ball Grounds.”

3 Senator, “Elberfeld Is Out With Lame Ankle; Street Off Fishing,” Washington Times, May 22, 1911: 10, available at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1911-05-22/ed-1/seq-10/, accessed December 10, 2024.

4 Senator, “Elberfeld Is Out With Lame Ankle; Street Off Fishing.”

5 Senator, “Jim M’Aleer Takes Liking to Shanks, Youngstown Star”; Senator, “What You Missed,” Washington Times, May 24, 1911: 10, available at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1911-05-24/ed-1/seq-10/, accessed December 10, 2024.  

6  Senator, “Mrs. Gray Brings Team Good Luck,” Washington Times, May 23, 1911, available at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1911-05-23/ed-1/seq-10/, accessed January 6, 2025.

7 Paul Hale Bruske, “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series,” Detroit Times, May 23, 1911: Sporting Extra, 1.  

8 “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series.”

9 “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series.”

10 “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series.”

11 “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series.”

12 “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series.”

13 “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series.”

14 “Mullin Pitches Second Game of Wash. Series.”

15 Paul Hale Bruske, “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers,” Detroit Times, May 24, 1911: 10, available at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016689/1911-05-24/ed-2/seq-10/, accessed December 10, 2024; “McAleer Threatens Shake-up When Nationals Reach Home.”

16 Bruske, “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers.”

17 “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers.”

18 “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers.”

19 “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers.”

20 “McAleer Threatens Shake-up When Nationals Reach Home.”

21 “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers.”

22 “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers.”

23 “Nationals’ One Fit of Hysterics Enough to Win for the Tigers.”

24 “McAleer Threatens Shake-up When Nationals Reach Home,” McAleer went on to pick up outfielder Tillie Walker from the minor-league Spartanburg Spartans for $700 on June 2, and infielder Eddie Foster and outfielders Danny Moeller and Chet Spencer from the minor-league Rochester Bronchos on July 25 for players to be named later (Gray and Lelivelt went to Rochester in December 1911) and cash considerations.